Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Council Housebuilding, Placemaking and Development.

The Cabinet Member for Council Housebuilding, Placemaking and Development introduced the report which provided an update on the progress made on the Civic Centre project, and sought approval to proceed through to the appointment of the main contractor, which would be brought back to Cabinet for approval at a future meeting.

In response to questions from Councillor Barnes, the following was noted:

-       There was a cross-party working group involved in the project, as well as consultation with local schools and residents to see how they would like the building to work.  Information relating to public involvement would be provided in writing.

-       River Park House would be considered as part of other plans, and would be included in a future report to Cabinet.

RESOLVED

1.           To agree to continue to proceed with the restoration and refurbishment of the existing Civic Centre, and its expansion through the addition of an Annex building, up to the conclusion of the procurement process to appoint a main contractor.

2.           To note that a further report will be brought to Cabinet to approve the main construction contract for the Civic Centre project, anticipated to be Q4 2023.

Reasons for decision

The Council office accommodation business case agreed by cabinet in January 2022 demonstrated that the best option to meet the Council’s core office accommodation needs was to restore and refurbish the Civic Centre along with the addition of an annex building.

The decision allowed the Council to continue to work to deliver this scheme, with the objectives of restoring the iconic Civic Centre building for civic and democratic functions, and with providing high-quality, accessible, and sustainable office accommodation in the heart of the borough.

The January 2022 decision agreed that the scheme would be developed through until the planning application stage, which has now been reached and thus this report seeks authorisation to proceed with the scheme up to the conclusion of the procurement process to appoint the main contractor, at which point the final contract award recommendation will be presented to Cabinet, currently anticipated to be during Q4 2023.

The January 2022 report also agreed the award of a preparatory works contract, which removed all redundant building services and asbestos in the Civic Centre building to prepare for the main construction contract and expose any hidden issues. The preparatory works contract has been successful in exposing previously unidentified condition issues and has allowed the project team to complete additional survey work and gain a better understanding of the condition of the existing structure, which has allowed for more detailed design proposals to be prepared.

Additionally, the January 2022 report also identified the risk that the construction industry was in a volatile state due to the impacts of Brexit and the Covid pandemic. The situation has worsened over the course of 2022 due the impact of the Ukraine crisis on the supply of materials and labour. The economic impact on these issues has led to the BCIS Tender Price Index projections increasing significantly.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14